In 1990 Seahawk Deep Ocean Technology of Tampa, Florida, commenced the world's first robotic archaeological excavation of a deep-sea shipwreck south of the Tortugas Islands in the Straits of Florida. At a depth of 405 meters, 16,903 artifacts were recovered using a Remotely-Operated Vehicle. The wreck is interpreted as the Buen Jesus y Nuestra Senora del Rosario, a small Portuguese-built and Spanish-operated merchant vessel from the 1622 Tierra Firme fleet returning to Seville from Venezuela's Pearl Coast when lost in a hurricane.
 
Oceans Odyssey 3 introduces the shipwreck and its artifact collection ranging from gold bars to silver coins, pearls, ceramics, beads, glass wares, astrolabes, tortoiseshell, animal bones and seeds. The Tortugas shipwreck reflects the daily life of trade with the Americas at the end of the Golden Age of Spain and presents the capabilities of deep-sea robotics as tools for precision archaeological excavation.
 
Oceans Odyssey 3 is a fascinating read for anyone interested in pioneering technological advances in deep-ocean exploration, stunning 17th-century Spanish treasure fleets and fascinating artifact discoveries.